A/N: Google Maps sure does come in handy when you have absolutely no idea about the layout of a city!
Chapter 52
Clary's POV
By the time Alec pulled into the car park off Brightwater Court, Isabelle was basically bouncing in her seat with excitement.
As soon as the car was parked – Alec hadn't even turned the engine off yet though – Isabelle had the door open and was climbing out of the car.
"Where's the fire Izzy?" I asked with a laugh, unbuckling the seatbelt before climbing out.
"I haven't been here in years Clary," Isabelle replied, smiling. "I'm excited to finally be back at this beach... Alec and I used to come here a few times a year when we were younger."
I nodded once and turned to help unload our stuff. I ended up carrying the beach towels while Jace and Alec carried the umbrellas and the basket that had our lunch in it.
Quite a few people were already on the beach so we walked along the boardwalk for a few minutes until we could see a clear spot. As soon as we saw one, we turned and headed out onto the sand.
Once Jace and Alec had set up the umbrellas and put the basket down, I tossed their towels to them and put mine down on the sand before kicked my flip flops off and sat on the towel. "It's actually a nice day to be at the beach," I said, glancing up at the near-cloudless sky.
"It is," Isabelle said, setting her towel down beside mine before sitting. She put her shades on and lay down.
"Again... sorry I was late," I said.
"Don't worry about it... we're here now, that's all that matters," Isabelle replied.
I shrugged and turned to look back at the water, watching the waves come and go. I continued to stare at the water for a while, watching the way the sun glinted off it and the way the waves rolled it. It would make a great painting.
I turned and reached into my backpack, fishing out my phone so I could take a photo – or two or three – that I could use as reference for my art.
After shutting the camera off and putting my phone back in my bag, I decided to go for a swim – Alec, Magnus, Jace and Jonathan were already in the water and I decided to join them. "I'm going to go swim... are you..." I started to ask, turning to look at Izzy and Simon. I trailed off though, seeing them caught up in their own little world.
Without saying another word I simply turned away and pulled off my extra clothing so I was left in my bikini and then I made my way to the water.
The sand was hot on my bare feet so the cool water was a nice change. It wasn't cold, like a pool might have been, but it wasn't hot either... it was a nice temperature.
I slowly walked into the water, towards my other friends. When I reached them, I wrapped my arms around Jace's bare torso, resting my head against his back.
He turned in my arms and smiled down at me. "The colour blue suits you Clary," he said after a moment.
I felt my face heat up slightly and I looked down, hoping he hadn't seen the blush. I felt his chest vibrate with a silent chuckle and I frowned slightly.
"Why are you blushing?" Jace asked. I could hear the smirk in his voice. "Although I guess I know the answer to that... I make all the girls blush... even when I just say hello," he continued.
I pushed away from his chest and stared up at him. I had been right – he was smirking – and his smirk seemed to grow as his eyes glanced over me.
An idea suddenly came to me and I gave Jace a playful smile, stepping forward again.
He lowered his gaze so his eyes stayed locked with mine and after a moment, I swung my leg out under the water and hit his legs, making him lose his balance and fall backwards.
He went under the water and came back up a second later. "What was that for?" he asked, looking rather shocked as he pushed his now wet hair away from his face.
I shrugged. "Payback... for all the times you've teased me," I said with an innocent smile.
Jace frowned at me before his lips curled up slightly in a small, playful smile. "My teasing isn't that bad... it's playful... and you are incredibly adorable when you blush..." he said, moving towards me and placing his hands on my hips. His touch sent a shiver up my spine.
His hands moved from my hips up to my waist and then he placed one hand on the small of my back, pulling me closer as his other hand trailed up my spine, over my shoulder and eventually cupped my face.
I simply stared up at him, watching as he leaned in closer. He stopped when his face was less than an inch from my own; his lips brushed mine as he spoke. "I love you Clary," he whispered before closing the small gap.
His lips tasted salty, like the ocean, but that didn't faze me. I used the fact that I was in the water to my advantage and I pulled myself up, wrapping my legs around Jace's waist and tangling my fingers in his damp hair as I kissed him back.
Our kiss was broken almost immediately though when a wave of water crashed over us. At first, I thought the tide had picked up but I realized a second later that the wave had come from the wrong direction.
I had my back to the shore, so if the wave had been natural, the wave would have come from behind Jace and we may have fallen towards the shore. The wave we had been hit with came from our side.
"Hands off my sister," Jonathan said, splashing another wave at us.
"Hey!" I said, covering my face just in time – I didn't exactly want to end up with a mouthful of sea water... and I didn't want to get it in my eyes; it stung worse than pool water.
I heard Jonathan chuckle and I looked up. "If you want to splash someone, go splash Izzy and Simon," I said, glancing back at the beach to see that they were still absorbed in their own little world – more so than before.
"Isabelle is not my sister, you are. Now, I'm not going to say this again, hands off my sister," Jonathan said, moving his gaze from me to Jace as he pushed more water at us.
With a sigh, Jace took a step away from me and Jonathan gave a triumphant smile before turning away to talk to Alec and Magnus again.
As soon as his back was us I turned to pout at Jace who simply gave me a smile that told me he was planning something.
He moved slowly, taking a step towards me again but Jonathan turned. "I have eyes in the back of my head Jace, don't push it," he said.
"You have eyes in the back of your head?" Jace said. "That's not very normal... maybe you should see a doctor."
I tried – and failed – to hide my laughter.
Jonathan just glared slightly at both Jace and I before he splashed water at us and turned to mess around with Alec and Magnus.
A/N: Sorry this chapter was up late... I've just started my senior year of high school so things have been a little crazy... anyway, I am hoping to have the next chapter up in a week. Review please!
